It has been two months to this day that a small group of people opened the gates of a forgotten park in the by-lanes of Bandra. There was a dream, to bring the community together, to care for fallen leaves. That’s where the story of the Dream Grove began.
As you walk into the park on a Sunday evening, you will see bright, smiling faces greeting you with backs bent – some carrying bedsheets full of dry leaves from their building compounds, some bringing tools, saplings, refreshments and snacks – this is the group of volunteers working to setup a little farm in the D’Monte Road BMC park in Bandra.
Marie Paul says, “For me, this began as a self-expression programme as part of my Landmark Forum program where we participate in a community project as part of our service instead of being self-centred. Miraculously, as I put out the intention for a project, Premila came into my world. Suddenly out of the woodwork and through the mighty WhatsApp, word spread about a pilot project for the BMC to showcase how to conserve and build the soil in the park, organically.”
D’monte Park Road’s Dream Grove is a local citizen-BMC initiative that endeavours to be a model for sustainable green spaces in the city. Dream Grove aims to showcase and build awareness that natural waste like leaves and biomass is a resource that needs to be harnessed and not trashed.
Inspired by the #SaveALeaf campaign to Clean Our Air, Build Our Soil, Green Our City, Grow Our Food, local volunteers of all ages come together and gather excess leaves in the locality and via natural methods build soil to grow diverse edibles; thereby reducing food-miles, adding to bio-diversity and bonding as a community.
Premila Martis says, “I have two emotions – Pride in volunteers and hope that we can demonstrate that sustainable low-cost green spaces are possible in the city.”
Mani Patel who is a resident of Bandra shares, “I am interested in learning about different ways to use garden waste, gardening, but mostly having fun and getting together with people not just from my area of residence.”
Most volunteers share a common sentiment after working at the park. They believe being a part of this initiative has fostered a sense of community and connection in all involved. And the feeling to be able to give back to nature some of what has been given to us means a lot.
Local resident Amit Dhairyawan shares, “We wanted to support this as a community action and for our children to become aware of what it takes to grow your own food. This way, our children relive a past where summers were spent outside, digging in the dirt, picking whatever grew on the trees around and most of all, had fun without gadgets.”
A new young volunteer, Marisa D’Mello says, “I’ve just come once to the park. I felt a sense of community in the group I met, along with a sense of a larger purpose and positivity. I also learnt a lot!”
If you would like to volunteer at the park, you can visit every Sunday from 5pm – 6.30pm. Once you become a regular volunteer, you would be kept posted about mid-week farm work.
Diipti Jhangiani
